The present invention is generally related to welding and an illustrated embodiment of the present invention is related to welding tubular members.
Welding operations are used in many industrial applications, such as vehicle construction on vehicle assembly lines. To form certain welded connection, a desired amount of the welding material must be placed between the surfaces of the weldable members where the joint is to be formed and then heated. This type of joint is difficult to form when the weldable members are tubular in form because it becomes difficult to directly access the surfaces to be welded.
Tubular hydroforming technology is increasingly being used in industry, particularly in the automotive industry. Hydroforming technology offers many advantages for automobile frame construction, but the use of common welding methods for welding tubular components is difficult and can result in time and cost inefficiencies. Additionally, the use of steel in automobile frame as resulted in heavy automobiles that are not fuel efficient.
One object of the invention is to provide a method of welding tubular members, comprising providing first and second tubular members, each of the first and second tubular members being formed at least in part of aluminum, and each of the first and second tubular members having a respective exterior surface; providing at least one welding material member, each of the at least one welding material member being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of bonding in weld-forming relation with the first and second tubular members; securing each of the at least one welding material members on the first tubular member so that each of the at least one welding material members remain in a predetermined position on the first tubular member prior to being in contact with the second tubular member; positioning the second tubular member adjacent the first tubular member with the at least one welding material member being disposed in current transmitting relation between the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members; and applying an electrical current across the first and second tubular members such that the applied current flows through the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members and each of the at least one welding material member disposed between the first and second tubular members to weld the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members together.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of welding tubular members, comprising providing first and second tubular members formed at least in part from aluminum, each of the first and second tubular members having a respective exterior surface; providing at least one welding material member carried in a predetermined arrangement by a carrier sheet, each of the at least one welding material members being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of bonding in weld-forming relation with the first and second tubular members; positioning the carrier sheet between the first and second tubular members so that each of the at least one welding material members is disposed in current transmitting relation between the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members; and applying an electrical current across the first and second tubular members such that the applied current flows through the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members and each of the at least one welding material members disposed between the first and second tubular members to weld the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members together.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a welding material assembly comprising a carrier sheet; and a plurality of welding material members mounted on the sheet in a predetermined arrangement, each of the plurality of welding material members being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of melting when heated by application of an electrical current and capable of being welded to a structural weldable member formed at least in part from aluminum, and each of the plurality of welding material members being mounted on the sheet such that when the sheet is placed between the exterior surfaces of the first and second weldable members to be welded each of the plurality of welding material members is electrically conductively disposed between the first and second weldable members.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.